His Imperial Majesty the Emperor earlier this morning granted Imperial Consent to the Cities Act 2016.

The Act of Parliament allows certain towns to be given the status of cities, and designates Wrythe (the capital) and New Richmond (Austenasia’s largest and most populous town) as the Empire’s first two cities.

Wrythe and New Richmond will officially become cities in January.

Cities will not only elect a Representative to elect them in Parliament, but a Mayor to oversee their local government.

The Cities Act specifies that Mayors will be elected alongside Representatives in local elections, but forbids the two offices from being simultaneously held by the same person.

On 4 November, Flandrensis announced its withdrawal from the Antarctic Micronational Union, an organisation it founded in 2008 which has been hugely successful in regulating the territorial claims by various small countries and micronations to land in Antarctica. Grand Duke Niels I explained his decision by stating the AMU had “almost no interest in the ecological problems of today”. However, AMU Administrative-General Yaroslav Mar disputed this, publishing an e-mail in which he had offered the Grand Duke the chance to draft a new, more ecologically-focused charter for the organisation.

FLORENIA

On 25 November, King Eran – who had previously held a ceremonial role – published a declaration in which he suspended Parliament and instituted temporary personal rule, instructing his son Prince Nathan, the Prime Minister, to draw up plans for reform. This comes after several months of apparent inactivity in the Florenian government.

LADONIA

On 24 November, an arson attack burnt down the Tower of the Winds, a quarter of the sculpture “Nimis”, one of two over which Ladonia declared independence from Sweden due to planning permission disputes. There have been no claims to responsibility for the attack. Queen Carolyn I promised that “Nimis will be repaired, and grow to be even larger than before… rising like a Phoenix from the ashes.”

MOLOSSIA

On 27 November, Molossia unveiled a Little Free Library on its north-western border with the US, full of books to be swapped for free by passing readers in Molossia and in the United States.

RUDNO

On 13 November, Rudno adopted a new theocratic constitution, declaring that it would have no King but Jesus Christ, and renaming the office of Ambict, head of government, to Steward.

ZEALANDIA

On 12 November, the State Bank of Zealandia announced the creation of a new Zealandian currency, the Credit, pegged to equal value with the Australian dollar.

On 23 November, Chairwoman Charlotte Lindstrom signed into a law guaranteeing the right of Zealandians to practice “the magickal arts” so long as such are not inconsistent with the law or “good proletarian morals”.

An Act of Parliament, granted Imperial Consent this morning, has downgraded the Environmental Office from a government ministry to a department of the Home Office, renaming it to the Environmental Agency in the process.

The Environmental Office was founded in February 2009, administered by the Minister for the Environment. This office has now been renamed to the Under-Secretary for the Environment, and the holder of the position will be appointed by the Home Secretary.

The Environmental Agency retains all the powers and functions that were held by the Environmental Office. Emperor Jonathan I, who appointed himself Minister for the Environment after the resignation of Lord Charles Clarke in September, has remained as Under-Secretary for the Environment.

Speaking to the Austenasian Times, His Imperial Majesty said that “the care of Austenasia’s natural environment should not be seen as an issue separate from others, but as an intrinsic part of our government’s care for the Empire as a whole. All policy decisions made in regards to the internal affairs of Austenasia must be taken with the natural environment constantly in mind, not as an issue to be dealt with by another ministry, and so we felt it appropriate to merge the Environmental Office into the Home Office at the suggestion of His Imperial Highness the Prime Minister.”

Emperor Jonathan I has granted the rank of Augusta to his fiancée Princess Consort Hannah in celebration of one year since they entered into a romantic relationship.

The new Augusta – who is also the sovereign Princess of Wildflower Meadows – entered into a romantic relationship with the Emperor of 5 November 2015, and the two became engaged to be married on 5 September earlier this year.

Princess Hannah now has the style Her Imperial and Serene Highness, and ranks second only to Jonathan I in the Empire in terms of precedence.

The title of Augusta is the highest-ranking that the Monarch can bestow. In the classical and medieval Roman Empires, it was given to wives and family members of the Emperors.

Only two others have been made Augustae by Austenasian Emperors: the late Dame Bette, former Emperor Mother of Terry I, and Countess Eritoshi, Prime Minister from 2013 to 2015 who relinquished the rank upon her resignation from national politics.

On 5 October, a meeting of the Chamber of Deputies relocated the capital from Lavrada to Colo, established a Confederal Bank of Delvera, and set up a wage system for government employees.

KUMANO JIRITSU

On 16 October, Hatsu Aki was sworn in as the new head of state after the resignation of his father in July. The title of the head of state, Daitōryō Daimyō, can be translated as “President-Noble” or “President-Lord”.

MOLOSSIA

On 29 October, President Kevin Baugh and the Molossian First Family took part in the annual Nevada Day Parade in Carson City for the tenth time. The President met with various Nevadan dignitaries, including the governor and several congressional candidates, most of whom were found to be already aware of Molossia.

SABIA AND VERONA

On 20 October, Sabia and Verona celebrated four years since its foundation. King Tarik released a statement celebrating the stability of the kingdom.

SANDUS

On 19 October, Sôgmô Will Soergel celebrated the Sandum holiday of Armilustrium by publishing a playlist on Spotify and conducting a religious ritual.

On 26 October, the Sôgmô announced a meeting of the Citizen’s Party of Sandus to formulate an official platform for the party, a goal which had previously been intended to have been reached by May earlier this year.

WILDFLOWER MEADOWS

On 14 October, the Principality of Wildflower Meadows annexed Grosvenor Park, an ornamental Victorian park in the British city of Chester, located directly between the Principality’s existing claims of Chester Meadows and the walled city itself.

ZEALANDIA

On 26 October, Claire Nymoria was appointed the new Prime Minister of Zealandia by leader Charlotte Lindstrom.